


1 - Exodus

by CatThulu, Shaxxophone



Series: Destcember 2020 Prompts [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Destcember (Destiny), Destcember 2020 (Destiny), The Red War (Destiny)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27831340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatThulu/pseuds/CatThulu, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaxxophone/pseuds/Shaxxophone
Summary: The first prompt for Destcember 2020 -- Follow part of Shiro-4's journey during the mass exodus of The Last City.
Series: Destcember 2020 Prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037004
Kudos: 6





	1 - Exodus

Severed. 

That’s what he heard people call it, the feeling when you lose your light? Maybe it was more like an entire part of his being was shucked away from him. He felt naked, more vulnerable. Alone.

Shiro left his Ghost in the Iron Temple. He didn’t know if she was alive or… he just hoped she was alive. Ghosts had a sleep mode, right? Whenever she woke up, she’d be able to help the survivors that were being escorted there. That was the hope at least. Between her and the other Ghosts left behind, they should’ve been able to handle the civilians that were dropped off while his fireteam went back to grab more. 

It was some kind of crazy luck that they already had a ship landed at the temple before everything went Lights out. All of the Ghosts fell in unison, no way they’d have been able to call a ship down from orbit… 

Stop it. There was no sense in dwelling on what he couldn’t change. He was trudging through muddy landscape, his faithful gun Trespasser in hand, keeping guard over a harrowed and haggard looking batch of civilians that he was leading to a safe zone. Worrying about Ghosts could wait. He needed to stay alert. He owed at least that to everyone here.

Cabal drop ships flew overhead, but they ignored the group, instead heading straight for The City… sickening. But nothing to do about it now. Efrideet was already working on trying to take out every Cabal whose feet touched the ground there. With her sniper skills, maybe they had a chance of taking it back sooner than later. Or maybe she would die… Saladin was there too, probably helping the hunters move concrete during some quick search and rescue. That puts him right in the line of fire...

Dwelling. Again with the dwelling. Shiro lightly smacked himself on the side of the face to snap out of it. He always lived in the present before, this doesn’t have to be any different.

He plucks the radio off his belt and quietly speaks into it. “Cayde, any updates on the unit you saw marching south?” 

Gunshots from the other side, some sounds of Cabal dying— sounds like a good time. Cayde’s voice comes through strained from combat though. He sounds like he’s loving life the same as always, but he’s obviously getting tired. “Yeah, y’know, I meeeant to keep a better eye on that. Unfortunately getting tackled by a bunch of big guys tends to make you lose track—“ Shiro lets out a heavy sigh, “—but I’ll be able to get track of them again soon! Plan to. Right after this. By the way? 122.” A gunshot rings out, “Make that 123.”

“Wha—! 97.”

Cayde lets out joyous laughter, “Lagging behind, buddy!”

Shiro reciprocates his laughter with a huff. “I don’t have time for this right now. I need to keep focused.”

“Hey, you were the one that called _me_.”

“Right, well. Now I’m going to be the one to end the call. Take care of yourself.”

“No promises!”

The radio gets re-hooked to his belt, and cautious eyes return fully to watching the surroundings. He wishes they didn’t have to land the ships so far away, but it couldn’t be helped. Even at this distance, about a mile outside of the city, they’ve gotten into plenty of fights. Nothing fatal to the civilians yet, thank the Light. There’s also some city militia members helping him out, he wouldn’t be able to keep everyone so safe without them.

From there on it’s just walking. 

And scanning.

Walking.

Scanning.

Shoot Psions.

Walking.

‘Shiro, where are you?’ 

The best news Shiro’s gotten all day— that’s his Ghost’s voice! The telepathic links between Ghosts and Guardians must still be working! ‘Suzume! You’re alive!!’

‘I am... where are you though? Shouldn’t you be at the temple?’

‘No. There’s too much to be done for me to stay there.’

‘Okay... but where are you?’

‘I’m directing civilians to safe zones. Somewhere near the city.’

‘What the fuck?? Why did you leave me here?’ 

Shiro winces at the hurt sound in her voice, ‘I thought you were dead. If you weren’t, no point in leaving you in a dangerous spot when you can’t protect yourself.’

‘You should have brought me with you!’

‘What? No! This is fine. I’m fine.’

‘This is not fine! Bitch! We’re a team!’

‘There’s temporarily no team when half the team is presumed dead.’

‘Bullshit!!’

‘Oops, oh, oh no, the signal is breaking up. I should just focus on the civilians now. Love you Su!’ Shiro says, not even trying to make it sound like there’s a bad signal— which Suzume definitely picked up on.

‘The signal isn’t breaking up at all, you can’t break up the signal of a mind link!”

He’ll just have to ask for forgiveness later.

Shiro walks onward with the lights of his eyes burning a little brighter. The Ghosts weren’t dying, they just passed out. Not all is truly lost. He’s still Lightless as hell, but The Traveler can maybe one day be freed. This is hope. 

With renewed vigor, he urges his pack of wayward civilians onward. He’d like to think they can sense his energy rising, more than anything he wants to give them the hope he feels right now—

Four Cabal drop pods land in front if them.

Horror is close enough to hope, right? 

2 Colossus, 2 Phalanxes, 1 Centurion, 1 Legionary. What kind of nightmare hell squad like this goes after a group of stragglers???? 

Shiro dives behind a nearby outcropping of rock as he shouts, “COVER, COVER, GET TO COVER! MILITIA, GET THE LEGIONARIES AND PHALANXES, CENTURION TOO IF YOU CAN!” In fluid motion, he holsters Trespasser in exchange for a linear fusion rifle he picked up along the way. He needs to break up the shields on the colossuses and fast—two shots are let out from the fusion rifle, one at each of the two big guys trying to draw their attention to him.

… which, unfortunately draws their attention to him. Without cover, he’d be done for, because both of them reflexively fire a barrage of rockets his way. He gets hurt, but not so bad as to stop moving.

He glances at the direction the civilians ran off to— “NO!”

The centurion is leaping in the air, and hovering while charging up that wide spread gun of his. It’s at a perfect angle to hit everyone who just found cover. 

He can’t let that happen. 

He can’t let the civilians die.

He has to do something.

It feels like everything is moving too fast and too slow all at the same time.

Shiro sends a message to his Ghost through their link. Something simple. ‘Love you.’

Then as his mind and body is washed over with an extreme calm, he stands to get a better angle with his charging fusion rifle, and aims it for the Centurion's head. He’s distantly aware of the Colossuses preparing to shoot him. He's distantly aware of an annoying buzz in the background. He doesn’t really feel like caring about either. Shiro’s body is just moving on instinct, and at this point, and if death takes him it takes him.

Then, like the divine luck that has always seemed to strike him in life, three things happen at once (Well, maybe one of them was skill, one just simply was, and _one_ was luck—but he would never tell you it wasn’t all somehow luck).

The linear fusion rifle overcharges, and shoots through both shield and head of the centurion in one shot.

Suzume responds. ‘Shiro! What’s wrong your body signs are scaring me.’ 

And out of fucking nowhere, the buzzing turns into a roar. Cayde-6 enters the scene riding a sparrow, handcannon in hand, and plows through both colossuses, skewering one and using it to hit it’s buddy. Without even waiting for the vehicle stop moving, he jumps off of it and onto the nearest ones back, putting ace of spades under its helmet unleashing the entire clip into its head. He gives Shiro a mock salute before letting himself drop to the ground. “Told ya I’d get track of them again—“ He looked around for someone Shiro couldn’t yet spot. “Shaxx, I’m counting each Colossus as two!”

What a trip of emotions this day was. If Shiro wasn’t so high on adrenaline, he might actually start crying. Priority number one: set his Ghost at ease. ‘I’m fine. Cayde’s here and helping. I just.. miss you. We’re good.’ Now he can talk out loud to Cayde. “It wasn’t the same group but hey buddy! Good to see y—!”

Lord Shaxx barreling up to the dazed but still living Colossus that was hit by his buddy, and just fucking him up with raze-lighter, is more than enough to get Shiro to just shut up and stare. He starts with an upward swipe with the sword, then another, then shishkabobs it with his full strength and tries to force it down to the ground. “That is good to know! 127.”

“Aaaahh!! No! I was going to kill that one!” Without missing a beat, Cayde shoots down the Legionary then a Phalanx, leaving just the one left— easy pickings for Shiro to come in and finish off with a well placed knife throw. 

“If you wanted to kill it, you should have gotten to him faster.” Shaxx remarks as he pins the beast the best he can, and proceeds to drag his sword over to its heart to ensure its death. 

They won. All the enemies were gone. The civilians were safe, and Shiro was not becoming another casualty of the Red War today. Shaxx and Cayde kept bickering in the background, but Shiro tuned it out, not really caring. He was just happy to be alive, to not have died his final death. He turned his focus now to the civilians he needed to start guarding once more. He is a Guardian after all, it’s what they do.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know that I'll be able to do every single prompt, but I'll do my best :)


End file.
